1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to unified mounting cups and valve stem assemblies for aerosol containers. More particularly, this invention relates to unified mounting cups and valve stem assemblies suitable for use with multi-valve aerosol containers.
2) Description of the Related Art
Aerosol containers are widely used to package a variety of fluid materials, both liquid and powdered particulate products. Typically, the product and a propellant are confined within the container at above atmospheric pressure and the product is released from the container by manually opening a dispensing valve to cause the pressure within the container to deliver the product through the valve and connecting conduits to a discharge orifice.
In aerosol containers of the related art, the dispensing valve, crimped to a mounting cup having a sealing gasket, is normally mounted in a top opening of the container, which opening is defined by a component commonly referred to as the “bead” of the container opening. The mounting cup includes a central pedestal portion for crimping the dispensing valve, a profile portion extending outward from the pedestal portion, which profile portion merges into an upwardly extending body portion, the body portion merging into a channel portion terminating in a skirt portion, which channel is configured to receive the bead portion of the container opening. The sealing gasket normally is disposed within the channel portion and in many gasket configurations extends downward along a part of the body portion. After the sealing gasket is disposed onto the mounting cup, the cup is positioned onto the container and the cup is crimped to the container. The crimping operation is well-known to those skilled in the aerosol container art.
In a conventional form of aerosol valve assembly, a vertically acting aerosol valve is opened to release product in the aerosol container by downwardly depressing an actuator attached to the top of the upstanding stem of the aerosol valve body. When the actuator is released, the valve is closed by a spring acting upwardly against the valve plunger. The valve stem has an upwardly extending discharge passage, a groove extending about the stem periphery, a lateral valve orifice (one or more) extending through the stem wall into the groove, and a stem-encircling sealing gasket for fitting into the groove and closing the lateral orifice except when the valve is actuated to depress the stem lateral orifice below the gasket.
Multi-valve aerosol dispensers embodying the above features are known in the art, as see U.S. Pat. No. 7,036,685 issued to Green May 2, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference.
A prior disclosure of conventional one-inch mounting cups containing single and multiple valve stems is made in U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,288 issued to Green May 18, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.